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    I was born here, TMC vote bank has baharis: Amit Shah

    Synopsis

    Home minister Amit Shah on Thursday sought to punch a hole in West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's oft-repeated insider-outsider narrative, alleging that her "vote bank of illegal immigrants", on whose support she wants to rule the state, was the actual outsiders.

    SHa
    In his sharpest attack yet on Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, home minister Amit Shah on Thursday accused her government of using "bahari" (outsiders) as her vote bank and lashed out at her for calling him and his party leaders “bohiragato” (outsiders), as he addressed election rallies in the border districts of Malda and Dakshin Dinajpur.

    "You listen to her speeches. He keeps calling me and the PM bahari. As PM and HM, can we not talk to you. I was born in the country. I was raised here and I will die here and will be cremated here. I am not a bahari but many who form didi's vote bank are,” Shah said. “Didi has no plan for Bengal. She is only busy branding others as outsiders.”

    Earlier too, Shah had attacked Banerjee, accusing her of appeasing the Muslims and neglecting the interest of the Hindus, mainly the Dalits. On Wednesday, he particularly targeted her alleging she had ignored the welfare of the Rajbanshi community, a prominent Dalit group in North Bengal.

    Speaking in Harirampur in Dakshin Dinajpur, he said the weavers of the state were in distress because the local government was not helping them, while the Centre through its impetus to khadi was bringing improvement in their lives. He accused the TMC of not just allowing infiltration but also facilitating human trafficking, indulging in coal smuggling, cow smuggling and syndicate raj.

    This was the first time the BJP leader was speaking under the party's new format of addressing one public meeting for multiple seats. Shah's two other public meetings in the State were cancelled on account of Covid-19. He promised that the BJP would strengthen the borders of the country and stop infiltration and said the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act would bring a new lease of life to many SC communities such as namasudra, matua and rajbanshis.

    North Bengal, he said, has always been neglected by both the Left and the TMC. The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose highway will connect Siliguri with Kolkata and the commute will be reduced to three hours, he said, adding that airports at Malda and Balurghat, a metro in Siliguri and an AIIMS in North Bengal would benefit the region.

    Shah said the BJP would form the government and stop all kinds of political violence in the state. He specifically reached out to the female voters, reiterating the party’s promise of granting them 33% reservation in government jobs, free education till PG and free public transport.

    The home minister said the people of the region have to help the BJP reach its target of 200 seats in the assembly election and asked them to come and vote in large numbers. A paramilitary battalion force named after the Narayani Sena will be put in force soon, he said.

    The state has two more phases of voting left, to be held on April 26 and April 29.


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